Danmachi: The Supporter
by hit0k1ri
Summary: The deaths of First Class Adventurers Finn, Riveria and Gareth sent shockwaves throughout Orario. With the once mighty Loki Familia disbanded by its grief-stricken goddess, Aiz searches for a new Familia to resume her quest to become stronger. Along her journey she encounters a mysterious supporter. What is their connection to what happened on the lowest levels of the dungeon?
1. The Fall of Loki Familia

**Prologue**

The hilly plains covered by luscious grass rustling in the breeze could easily be mistaken for the fields found just outside of the Labyrinth City Orario. Looking up at what would be the sky was the empty cover of blackness that accompanied being in the ominous dungeon that countless adventurers sought fame and fortune within.

In stark contrast to the serenity of the endless, peaceful green, were the splatters of blood still freshly dripping and scattered violently throughout. There was no longer a living soul that remained there to tell of the gruesome battle that had just taken place at the lowest level of the dungeon beneath the city - Floor 100.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Fall of Loki Familia**

The residents of Orario were still reeling from the shock of the sudden death of the three highest members of the once mighty Loki Familia: the prum 'Braver' Finn who was the Captain, the elf 'Nine Hell' Riveria who was the Vice-Captain, and the dwarf 'Elgarm' Gareth. As arguably the strongest in the city, the Loki Familia set out on an expedition and reached the lowest level officially recorded in Orario's history, the 60th floor.

The sudden spike in the amount of high level monsters encountered on Floor 60 caught the already wearied party off guard. The three leaders of the Loki Familia valiantly stayed behind to distract their attackers to try and buy everyone else enough time for their escape. Going out in a blaze of glory, each one of them died with a look of content on their faces knowing that their ultimate sacrifice would give the others their greatest chance to make it back out of the dungeon alive.

Overwhelmed by the grief felt due to the loss of her beloved children, Loki disbanded her Familia and cast herself out of the city gates in self-imposed exile to deal with the newfound pain in solitude. Loki blamed herself for pushing them to go so far, but no one would have shared the same sentiment had they been asked. The lower you travelled, the higher the chance of death - every adventurer knew this and accepted the risk.

Three other executives of the Familia, the werewolf Bete and the Amazoness twins Tione and Tiona took a break from adventuring after the ordeal, with Bete's feelings of guilt rivalling that of Loki's.

"I should've stayed back with them," Bete would quietly mutter under his breath when thoughts of the fatal expedition crept into his mind. Contrary to his outwardly aggressive appearance, the grey-haired werewolf was the most emotional of the now defunct Loki Familia. Bete blamed himself greatly for the demise of his comrades, even though he and the twins perfectly carried out the last order given to them by their Captain Finn.

"Lead the charge back up and make sure the others make it out alive!" Finn yelled whilst exchanging blows with a powerful lizardman within Bete's recollection of the tragic events that had transpired.

Small droplets of tears dripped from the determined werewolf's eyes as he crushed any monsters that were in his path as the party burst their way back to the top. It would not be favourable for anyone to confront Bete with this information so it was never spoken about.

The last remaining executive member was the blonde-haired human known as the 'Sword Princess' Aiz Wallenstein. Aiz was tasked by Riveria to handle the entire protective duties of the rear-guard due to her strength and speed which could be greatly enhanced by her wind element enchant magic called Ariel.

"Aiz. Protect those at the rear. With your Ariel, you should be able to cover off a large area and catch up to the others if you fall behind. Now go!" These final orders were commanded by Riveria as she struggled to maintain her protective barrier, which was the only thing that stood between a horde of monsters and desperate stragglers of the fleeing party.

Aiz undertook Riveria's order without hesitation and with deadly precision. Having Ariel activated and surrounding her with its powerful aura, the Sword Princess swiftly obliterated any monsters that dared enter her net of protection. Aiz was absolutely seething.

Level after level, monster after monster, none were able to match the intensity of her blade, which neither dulled nor slowed no matter how many were slain. The lagging party members who travelled at the back did not suffer even a single scratch thanks to Aiz and her fighting abilities.

The legend of the Sword Princess' latest achievements in the dungeon gained her even further admiration from Orario's residents and fellow adventurers alike. Equal to the respect she garnered by her battle prowess, was the adoration for her captivating looks which was said to rival that of Freya, the goddess of beauty herself.

* * *

"You're kicking me out Hephaestus?! How could you do this to me?! Just let me stay a little longer. We're friends aren't we?" squealed the virgin goddess Hestia.

The goddess Hephaestus stood arms crossed and unwavering as she blocked Hestia from entering the doorway to her private office. Hephaestus' more mature features were juxtaposed next to the seemingly childlike Hestia who wore her hair in pigtails and possessed a small stature.

"You've moped around here long enough Hestia. What is the point of being granted this chance away from the heavens if you're just going to squander it doing nothing but lazing about?" responded Hephaestus trying not to give in to her unreasonable friend.

"And besides, I can simply no longer afford to fund your entire stay here with the money earned by my hard-working Familia."

"But where will I go? Do you expect me to sleep on the streets? What if I catch a cold and die? I'll haunt you forever!"

"You're a goddess, I think you'll be fine. In any case, here are the directions to a church that is no longer in use," advised Hephaestus as she handed Hestia a folded piece of paper.

"It's quiet and cosy so you should be able to have a comfortable stay there. But I suggest you start your own Familia sooner rather than later. Unless you want to get a full time job to support yourself?"

Hestia was horrified by the prospect of having to work for mere sustenance, so she snatched the piece of paper away and stormed off out of sight like a child that had been just been scolded by a parent.

"Lousy Hephaestus. What's another month or two between friends anyway?" squawked Hestia to no one in particular as she made her way down one of the main streets of Orario towards her new abode.

Hestia's thoughts were bombarded by images of herself completely destitute, crawling filthily on the sidewalks and begging strangers for spare change. She started to pull her hair out in comical frustration when suddenly her attention focused on a familiar face in the crowd.

"Hey wait. Isn't that…?"

Aiz wearing a casual white dress was taking an afternoon stroll when she was spotted by the goddess.

Hestia yelled out to get Aiz's attention "Hey Aiz Wallen-whatsit! Wait a minute!"

Aiz now facing the goddess who she recognised as a colleague of Loki's, stopped walking and tilted her head.

"Where are you heading off to?"

"To the guild. I want to get their advice on which Familia to join."

Hestia could not believe her fortune after what she regarded as a pretty miserable period in her life. Even with discounting her recent eviction, the black-haired goddess had been saddened by the sudden departure of her friend Loki as well as the reasons for it. Loki loved all of her children, but those three were among the most cherished by her.

Despite Hestia's empathy for what had happened, she was not about to let this opportunity slip by. She managed to mask her melancholy by smiling at Aiz.

"You know Wallen-whatsit. Actually can I call you Aiz? I'm going to call you Aiz. It just so happens that I'm starting my own Familia but it's a special one where I'm only recruiting one member. Doesn't that sound like a match made in the heavens? You get to go off and do your own thing in the dungeon, and the only time you need to come back to me is when you want your status to be updated. I won't ask any more of you. Other than the usual twenty percent share of all the vallis you earn of course, but that's standard for such an exclusive membership into my Familia. What do you say?"

Aiz tilted her head to the other side and considered the offer. After careful deliberation it actually made perfect sense to her: she was not quite ready for the exhaustion that would accompany forming new bonds with members of a large Familia, and she would have full autonomy over when and where she could train in the dungeon. A transfer to another Familia could be requested in a year's time if it came to that.

Aiz replied with a simple "I accept."

Overjoyed by the thought of being able to resume her easy-going lifestyle, Hestia quickly ushered her first and only member along to the empty church where she would carry out the ritual to initiate Aiz into the newfound Hestia Familia.

"You're going to love our base Aiz. Apparently it's quiet and cosy. What more could you need? Loki would be proud."

"Apparently?" questioned Aiz. Hestia laughed off her slight slip of the tongue.

Aiz didn't really mind where their base was as all she could think about was getting back to her training. She would most likely be spending her nights sleeping on the ground in different floors of the dungeon for at least the near-future.

* * *

A young man dressed in a hooded vagabond's cloak and leather satchel tied around him was resting his back on a wall with one eye open. He had witnessed the conversation between Hestia and Aiz that occurred just in front of him.

"That might be a bit of fun," he thought to himself as a subtle smirk slid across his face.

As the goddess and adventurer disappeared into a crowd of people, the man reached into his satchel and pulled out a wine gourd. The refreshing taste of wine filled his mouth as he pushed off from the wall and started to make his way towards his favourite tavern: The Benevolent Mistress.

Their paths would cross when the time was right - he would make sure of that.


	2. A Trustworthy Partner

**Chapter 2: A Trustworthy Partner**

A little over a week had elapsed since Hestia welcomed the one and only member into her new Familia. They both resided in the confines of an old church which was now officially their base of operations. It was an uncharacteristically hot and humid day in Orario and the heat was further exacerbated by the lack of ventilation throughout the rooms. Hestia was noticeably bothered by this.

"Argh! I can't stand this weather!" yelled Hestia, kicking her feet up in the air.

Aiz appeared to pay no mind to the vocal complaints coming from the goddess and continued to clean her sword.

"You know Aiz. It's been over a week now and I'm just as broke as the day I met you. Twenty percent of zero is still zero! Forget being the Sword Princess, people will start calling you the Poverty Princess if you keep this up." Hestia quipped from the armchair she was lounging upside down on.

Aiz had used up most of her savings on either replacing or repairing equipment after her last expedition with the Loki Familia. Resuming her training in the dungeon after what was for her a long absence, Aiz had focused solely on dealing with monsters to gain exilia and not bothered picking up any magic stones to exchange at the guild for money.

"I understand," said Aiz before placing her sword back into its scabbard. She knew what needed to be done and with that departed for the town centre.

* * *

Aiz looked around at the various townsfolk that were going about their day in the middle of the city: merchants trying to sell their goods to adventurers who were in turn preparing to brave the dungeon, couples on dates and everything in between. What she was looking for was something very specific.

"Hey Sword Princess! Hey!"

Aiz turned around to see a young man in a vagabond's cloak fast approaching her, when suddenly _THUMP!_ The stranger tripped on a crack in the ground and plummeted right onto his face. He let out a quiet moan and lay there motionless - wine spilled all over the floor, outside of the gourd that had been held firmly in his grasps. Aiz approached the clumsy pile of a human.

"Are you okay?" Aiz asked as she put her hand out to offer assistance.

The man accepted her help back up and came to be directly in front of Aiz. She could now clearly make out his dishevelled brown hair and bright crimson red eyes that were previously obscured by the hood of his cloak.

"My pride hurts more than my face does. One might say that my first meeting with you _fell flat_."

"..."

"Nothing? How about the reason I tripped over was because I was blinded by how gorgeous you are? I mean, I had heard stories, but seeing your beauty in person really _floored_ me!"

"..."

"Still nothing? Huh. I usually get at least wince and a groan from my bad jokes but it looks like you're not biting. Interesting!"

Aiz confused by what the man was saying went to turn away when he lightly grabbed her arm. She looked down at another's limb placed onto her own when the grip was immediately released.

"Whoa whoa! Sorry to grab you like that. What I meant to say was, I know exactly why you're here and I just wanted to let you know that I'm the man for the job and I won't take 'no' for an answer!"

"You know why I'm here?" asked Aiz curiously.

"I heard what had happened with Lady Loki, and how you're now trying to be a one-woman army with Lady Hestia. A few of us surmised that you might appear around town looking for a supporter and that's why I'm here."

"You're a supporter?" enquired Aiz.

"One of the very best! And let me guess, you need someone to come along mainly to pick up the magic stones left behind by all the monsters you destroy?"

Aiz nodded in agreeance with the surprisingly accurate assessment. The man continued on with his sales pitch.

"But why choose me? Well I'll tell you! Firstly, I have possession of a rare magic item. Even though it looks like an ordinary satchel, you can store limitless amounts of items within it. Don't ask me how it works, but I've heard that an item such as this would impress even Perseus herself!"

He pointed to the leather satchel tied around him. He reached in and demonstrated its powers by pulling out multiple bulky items - the dimensions of which defied logic as to how it could all possibly fit into such a small bag.

"And Even though I'm though only Level 1, my agility stat is quite high. Some have even compared it to being level 2. I'm really great at running away from things and so that should be perfect, right? I'll focus on avoiding danger, wait for you dispatch anything that stands in our way, then I'll quickly clean up all the magic stones left behind you and we all get paid! All I ask is a measly ten percent of all the earnings. What do you say Ms. Wallenstein?"

Aiz could not fault the logic presented before her. The overly excited stranger listed everything she had been on the lookout for, and her naivety accepted what was being sold at face value. These types of negotiations were previously done on her behalf by her former teammates and so she had no concept of what it meant to question the deal being made. Aiz responded to the seemingly uncomplicated proposition.

"Okay. Let us meet here again tomorrow at the same time."

"You got it Ms. Wallenstein!"

"Aiz. Please call me Aiz," the Sword Princess requested before realising that the man had not introduced himself as of yet. "What is your name?"

"Oh, of course. How rude! People know me as THE supporter, and I can't be bothered going by anything else, so Supporter is fine."

"Okay Supporter. See you later."

"Bye Aiz!"

And with that the adventurer bid farewell and left The Supporter who then punched the air in excitement.

"Time to celebrate with a drink!" he proudly exclaimed before making his way to replace the wine that had gone to waste in the dirt near him.

* * *

Aiz and The Supporter built up a steady routine of meeting up in front of the dungeon every morning before proceeding into it together it. Every day turned out to be almost exactly how Aiz had envisioned - she would strike down any hostile parties, and he would swoop in at the end to collect any valuables that dropped all the while keeping a safe distance from the action or fleeing if the situation intensified. When they had enough, they would travel to the guild and each would receive their share of the earnings from the exchange of magic stones. The day ended with them going their separate ways. Aiz would usually return home and shared in a meal with her goddess, while The Supporter would go off to turn his solid assets into consumable liquids.

At frequent times throughout all of this, The Supporter showered his partner in bad puns and praised her attractiveness repeatedly, all of which were ignored almost every single time. Aiz never seemed to be put off by the relentless wall of noise spewing from the mouth of her partner. Aiz was extremely adept at blocking out anything external to the task at hand, and the few times The Supporter's words did reach her, they appeared to come from a place of actual sincerity. The Supporter was growing fonder of his fellow party member as the weeks went by and this was just his awkward way of expressing himself. He even managed to glean that the reason why the Sword Princess was so hellbent on becoming stronger was to slay the fabled One-Eyed Black Dragon, a high-level monster that was said to have wiped out even the legendary Zeus Familia - the strongest group in Orario's history.

On one particular occasion after gaining some confidence in their teamwork, the two decided to venture down to the lower levels of the labyrinth. After a hard-fought battle with a group of Sirens, the party decided to rest sitting atop a few boulders in the middle of a field.

The Supporter reached into his magic satchel and pulled out a small wooden flute. A peaceful melody filled the air. The tune made Aiz take notice.

"That melody. I've heard it before," said Aiz with a slightly puzzled look on her face. Feelings of nostalgia were invoked from within but she could not precisely recall when or where she had heard the piece.

"It's an old song. I guess I only know old songs," replied The Supporter. "Do you like it?"

"Mmm."

"Then I'll play it for you anytime you like, princess."

The party had grown complacent in their safety and the sounds of the flute alerted a nearby group of Harpies to their presence. They were now surrounded by creatures that had their top halves bearing resemblance to human women, and their bottom halves like giant eagles. They circled the duo in the air, screeching at their prey.

One of creatures swooped in from behind at full-speed towards The Supporter who was caught completely off-guard. All he could see in the corner of his eye were the sharpest of claws aimed right at his face.

Aiz managed to slice apart the Harpy before it could reach its intended victim, however the act of protection resulted in the loss of positional advantage in the fight. Even with Ariel engaged, the sudden shift in momentum meant that neither of them would leave the fight unscathed.

After the battle was over, a dimly lit cave with landforms that looked like leafless trees was chosen as a safe spot for the party to recuperate at. Although being a regular occurrence for the veteran adventurer, Aiz being wounded was a new sight to The Supporter who took sole responsibility for her injuries.

"I'm so sorry Aiz. It's all my fault that you were hurt."

The Supporter sitting on his knees as if begging for forgiveness, handed over vials of healing potions, more than the adventurer would actually need. He closed his eyes as he imagined what it would feel like had she been lost to him. All he could see was darkness. And then a light appeared. He opened his eyes to see the source of the illumination.

Aiz had gently placed her hand on his face to soothe his concerns.

"Don't worry about it Supporter. You're my trustworthy partner after all," said Aiz with a kind look on her face.

Unable to fully restrain his emotions any longer, tears started to well up in his eyes, blurring the crimson colour behind them.

"Trustworthy partner huh? I haven't been described with such kind words in the longest time. I'm sure you've found out about my reputation by now. The reason why people refer to me as THE supporter is because every day after we've finished, I go to The Benevolent Mistress, drink too much and make a fool of myself. Even though I never drink on the job or ever fail to fulfil my duties as a supporter, I'm always ditched at the first opportunity."

Aiz sat quietly and listened to the man bearing his soul to her.

"The only adventurers that would accept me were either desperate or ignorant. No one wanted to be associated with THE supporter, the sloppy drunk, the embarrassment. But not you. You don't care about things like that. You don't care about what others might say about me or about you."

"It'll be alright," is all that Aiz said back to her supporter before resting her head across his thighs and closing her heavy eyelids. Her usual nonchalant attitude was exactly the type of comfort that he needed to warm him to his very core. She didn't care about any of the unnecessary details. She put up with his nonsense and ramblings every day without complaint, and never judged him based on his personal life. He in turn made sure that he would always be there for her and support her to the best of his ability - that's all she cared about. She had fully accepted him for who he was and appreciated what he did for her. He needn't say or do any more - he just had to be there for her.

The Supporter smiled with a sense of understanding before becoming quiet for his weary partner who drifted off into a slumber.

* * *

Hestia and Aiz were sitting down at the dining table in the old church sharing a light evening meal. Hestia had done her due diligence and investigated the partner of her Familia's sole member and could not help but be inquisitive.

"So, I hear that the person you've been going into the dungeon every day with is THE supporter."

Aiz stopped eating and stared at the goddess, almost as if to dare her to say the wrong thing.

"It's not that I'm complaining. The amount of money you bring into the Familia is more than enough for us to live well off. I'm just checking that you're making good decisions with the people you choose to risk your life alongside," explained Hestia, voicing her honest thoughts on the matter.

"He's a person I can depend on," replied the Sword Princess, before going back to enjoying her food.

Receiving any response was rare enough, but for Aiz to actually compliment someone? The virgin goddess decided to have a little fun and tried a different approach. A mischievous grin appeared on Hestia's face.

"I noticed that you didn't come home at all yesterday. You haven't done that since you were solo. Does that mean you spent the night with a _man_? You must really like him!" teased Hestia, who was expecting a complete denial of the accusation.

Aiz's cheeks tinged with red and once again paused to carefully think about these strange feelings that were making their way to the surface. Aiz did not know exactly how to respond and so chose not to at all, but was no longer able to hide her smile or make any eye contact with her dining partner. The unexpected and earnest reaction from her Familia's captain made even Hestia blush because of its implication. The two of them finished the rest of their meal without uttering another word to each other.

* * *

A further week of daily adventuring went by and the two-person party felt more in sync with each other than they had ever been. Aiz decided it was time to test the lower levels once again and so they went. They were determined not to let another incident like what had occurred happen again and so they remained vigilant every step of the way.

Feeling a lightness in her step, the Level 6 adventurer cleared a group of Harpies with ease, quietly revelling in the payback that she had given to her adversaries.

"I bet these monsters are surprised to see us again after watching us _take flight_ the other day. They all must've thought we were _chicken_."

The bird-puns just like all the other terrible puns from The Supporter did not elicit even the slightest response from Aiz.

"Oh please, that was a good one. Silent as always. You must've been a real nuisance for your parents."

The sarcasm was lost on Aiz who this time sharply glanced over at the wannabe jokester. It was common knowledge that Aiz's parents were no longer of this world. Sensing that she was slightly taken back by his poor choice of words, he immediately apologised for being insensitive.

Was she always like this? Aiz thought back to a time when she was but a small child, laughing loudly and merrily with her mother and father. It had been so long since she felt such joy that she had almost forgotten what it was like to be truly happy.

Her reminiscing was cut short by a blood curdling roar that bellowed from nearby.

A black onyx Minotaur slowly trudged towards the duo, dragging alongside it a large cleaver with streaks of vermillion splashed all over it. Many questions entered both Aiz and The Supporter's minds all at once: what was a Minotaur doing at the lower levels? Why was it coloured in such darkness? Was the red all over its weapon the blood of adventurers or fellow monsters? The _irregular_ hurled itself at the team as if to say that none of what they were thinking mattered and that they should pay attention to the battle if they wanted to survive.

Just like other situations where they found themselves against a single opponent, the Sword Princess strategically led the monster away from the Level 1 supporter. The Minotaur struggled to keep up with the First Class Adventurer's speed and accuracy. When the creature was not defending itself against rapid sword strikes, it would hit nothing but air when swinging to counterattack. The large and muscular beast grew increasingly frustrated and gripped its weapon with both hands. The metallic cleaver started to glow.

 _SMASH!_

The Minotaur struck the ground and a geyser of explosive energy rushed directly towards Aiz, who managed to dodge it at the last second - the destructive blast exploding into the wall behind her. She would not be able to take a direct hit from something so powerful, but foresaw no issue in evading it with her swiftness. The Minotaur charged its blade once again.

"Give it up. You'll never be able to hit me with such an attack," informed Aiz as more of a fact than a taunt.

Almost as if the creature had understood the provocation directed at it, the Minotaur sniggered before slamming the ground once again. But this time aimed at the nearby supporter. Aiz used all of her Level 6 agility to make it in front of The Supporter in time, bracing as a shield for her partner.

Both human bodies were blown into the wall of the dungeon with parts of it crashing down on them. The Supporter coughing from the dust, opened his eyes to find his precious light covered in debris. He cleared as many of the loose rocks as he could and tried shaking her awake but Aiz was unresponsive – he then realised his hands were coated in her blood.

"Aiz?! Wake up! Please! AIZ!"


	3. Return to the Abyss

**Chapter 3: Return to the Abyss**

Aiz opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling in a darkened room. She touched the side of her head and felt a bandage wrapped around her left eye. There was not much else in the room other than herself and her bed. She saw a small table to the side that had a half-empty cup of water and a bowl with leftovers of soup still in it. She gathered her strength to get up and wondered outside.

"And then I told him it was worthless. You should've seen the look on his face!"

"That is unbelievable!"

Aiz cautiously walked through a corridor of rooms and down a flight of wooden stairs towards the hearty noise which consisted of a lot of yelling and laughter. The voices sounded familiar, one more than the other.

With only a few steps left to go the Sword Princess saw the back of the supporter who had his arm wrapped over the shoulder of another man. Both of them were merrily enjoying their ales and exchanging banter.

"Supporter…?"

The Supporter quickly turned around to see where the voice was coming from and immediately leapt up and ran towards the stairs, half stumbling along the way.

"Aaaiiiiizzzzyyyyy!"

"Aizy?"

The overly excited supporter drunkenly launched himself to hug his injured partner, who took a step to the side causing him to crash into the stairs.

"Ow ow ow. Aizy you're awake. I'm so glad!" exclaimed The Supporter rubbing his bruised head.

"I told you she'd be fine."

The drinking buddy turned around on his seat to voice his opinion. Aiz noticed who he was straight away. Wearing a distinctive eye-patch, the man known as Bors Elder was the representative of the city built on the 18th Floor of the dungeon: Rivira.

As Aiz and The Supporter sat down at the table, Bors enlightened the Sword Princess as to how the whole situation came about.

"So, you must be wondering how you ended up here Sword Princess. About 3 days or so ago I was doing some fishing near the forest when I heard rummaging through the bushes. Out burst Mr. Supporter carrying you on his back. You were passed out and clearly injured. He desperately asked for my help and I gave it. We took you to this Inn and asked for a healer to look at your wounds. You should thank your partner! Whatever he did to patch you up worked a treat as the bleeding had mostly stopped by the time you arrived here."

Aiz looked over to her partner who was smiling and listening along to the story. But one question was still on her mind.

"What happened to the Minotaur?"

"Only the gods know that one. It took every single smoke bomb, monster repellent and all of the luck I had to get us out of there. After getting us off that floor, I strapped some bandages on to try and stabilise you until I could get you up to this town. And here we are."

Aiz now had a better understanding of the ordeal and smiled to express her gratitude.

"Thank you, Supporter."

"Y-you're welcome!"

The supporter blushed at the sudden thanks he received. It was not that Aiz had never been appreciative of his efforts, it was more that it had always been implied as opposed to externally vocalised - they had an unspoken understanding of each other.

" _Ahem_. In any case, Bors and I have become drinking buddies for the past few days while we were waiting for you to wake up. I'm pretty broke so I'm hoping you can pay for our stay here," the supporter sheepishly advised.

"Of course."

"Great! Now let's get back to relaxing!" Bors let out a chuckle and went back to drinking.

* * *

While resting for a few more days in the dungeon city Rivira, word of the near-death experience of the Sword Princess spread throughout Orario like wildfire. With her popularity at an all-time high, a small crowd had gathered at the entrance of the dungeon to greet the duo as they finally made their return to the surface.

"Welcome back hero!"

"We love you Sword Princess!"

"Marry me Aiz!"

Aiz now free of any bandages or noticeable traces of injury was surprised at the attention she was getting. The crowd continued their joyous yelling as the two made their way through, with half of the crowd in awe of her past heroic deeds, and the other half there to once again witness the beauty that they thought they would not see again.

"Wow Aiz, looks like you have a lot more fans than you ever thought. I bet even Lady Freya would be jealous of the amount of marriage proposals that were just thrown at you," teased The Supporter.

Approaching the end of the crowd Aiz noticed three faces that she recognised.

"Yo."

Former Loki Familia members Bete, Tiona and Tione stood there brandishing the biggest grins you had ever seen.

"So, this must be the supporter we keep hearing about!"

"Whaa-"

"How can I see if you're cute or not if you keep hiding your face with that cloak of yours?"

Both Amazoness sisters could not contain their curiosity and proceeded to poke and prod at the alarmed young man much to the annoyance of Aiz.

"Hey, cut it out you dumb sisters, we're here for Aiz," growled Bete.

"We just wanted to see what kind of man Aiz had chosen to be with her."

"And aren't you the one that's been moping around telling everyone you'd kill the 'weakling' that wasn't able to protect Aiz if you ever met him?"

"S-shut up! I'm just glad she's alright. That's all that matters," barked back Bete in response, "Come with us you two, we've got some celebrations lined up for Aiz's recovery and return."

Both The Supporter and Aiz were led to The Benevolent Mistress where the Hermes Familia were hosting a party for them both. Hermes himself personally welcomed them in and explained to them how after weeks of incessant nagging, the three ex-Loki members were finally convinced to become members of his cohort.

"Enough about those boring things, you're back!" Aiz felt the sudden grasp of two slender arms around her.

"Lady Hestia?"

"But of course! As if I would miss the welcome back party of the Captain of my Familia. I organised this for you after all!"

"Excuse me?" Hermes still right beside them audibly scoffed at the notion put forward by the virgin goddess.

"Okay okay so I had a lot of help from Hermes. I was running low on funds because you guys had been in the dungeon for so long."

"Isn't the main reason for your lack of funds because you spent all that money on new furniture for your hideout?" retorted Hermes who was enjoying the reactions of the goddess.

"S-so this must be the supporter! It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Hestia quickly changed the subject and along with Hermes exchanged introductions with The Supporter. As Aiz was notorious for not detailing her exploits in the dungeon, the god and goddess were grateful to finally be filled in on stories of her adventures from the point of view of the supporter.

Asfi who was arguably the most famous item maker in Orario, and captain of the Hermes Familia joined in on the conversation taking place, and after a short period of small talk could not contain herself any longer.

"I've heard of this magic satchel of yours. May I see it?"

"Sure."

Asfi who also went under the moniker Perseus closely inspected the leather bag and tested its properties.

"This is impressive! I've heard of items like this from back in the day, but I have never encountered one myself. Where did you get this?"

The Supporter did not respond immediately, almost as if he were carefully choosing the words to explain how a Level 1 Supporter came across such an item that would carry vast monetary worth.

"This used to belong to an adventurer I partied with in the past. He no longer had any use for it, so I gladly took it in his stead."

Asfi furrowed her eyebrows not fully satisfied with the explanation given to her when the pleasantries were interrupted by a slightly red-faced werewolf.

"Hey Mr. Supporter! I heard you like to drink, but you don't have a drink in your hand. And you call yourself a man?!"

A large serving of ale was thrust into the chest of The Supporter who immediately downed its contents. He stared into Bete's eyes, who sternly stared back.

"Alright Supporter! Come with me. Let's see who the best man is!"

"You don't have to ask me twice!"

The two went off to indulge in a friendly but semi-serious contest of who could drink the most beer in the smallest amount of time. After a few rounds, neither of them remembered the reasons for the initial challenge and simply chose to acknowledge each other as manly men.

The Supporter along with Aiz's ex-teammates, and even Hestia herself combined forces to convince Aiz to join them for some drinking. She felt indebted to her partner for looking after her as well as her friends and goddess for throwing the party so she decided to partake in the festivities.

A small sip turned into another throughout the evening until Aiz was noticeably tipsy. She was not used to drinking that much in one sitting and had been bed-ridden recently so it was to be expected.

"This is why you drink all the time huh partner? I suppose it's a little fun. I feel like I understand you better now."

"Aiz? I think that's the most I've heard you speak in one go. You _must_ be drunk!"

Slightly embarrassed by being teased for her 'outburst' by her supporter, Aiz immediately went back to drinking quietly. Her friends and comrades roared with laughter and resumed their raucous partying.

"Hey Supporter! Get your behind up here!" demanded Bete who had climbed up on a table to start dancing and singing.

With no real reason to refuse, The Supporter jumped up to join the jovial adventurer. Side-by-side in each other's arms, the two carried on like old friends putting on a song and dance show much to the amusement of everyone there.

The loud music and all the commotion could be heard right out into the street outside the tavern. A prum by the name of Liliruca Arde who happened to be walking by peaked in to see what all the ruckus was about. She followed what the crowd's eyes were focused on and saw a werewolf and a human dancing and drinking on a table.

The prum's eyes widened as she recognised the man draped in a cloak with a distinctive leather bag hanging by his side. The last time she had seen him was when he was face-to-face with a Minotaur that was black as the night itself. Memories of what had happened during that encounter made her freeze in absolute fear.

* * *

Liliruca Arde or 'Lili' as she was most commonly known as, was a supporter in the Soma Familia who were famous for the wine they produced and sold. It was said that only those that had pledged themselves to Soma were able to experience the addictive delights of their top-grade wines. It was common practice for fellow Familia members to employ treacherous means to get enough money to feed their addiction.

Lili had personally experienced the torment of what it meant to be used for such purposes as she had been lied to, stolen from, and abused both physically and emotionally during her life as an orphaned supporter who had no one to depend upon other than herself.

Those arduous days finally came to an end when she managed to reach Level 2. During a particularly difficult adventure that involved partying with a group of Second Class Adventurers, Lili managed to destroy a high-level monster with a magic weapon she had been keeping as a secret and as a last resort. More out of survival instincts for herself rather than trying to help her abusive party members, slaying the monster and allowing them all to escape death that day allowed her the level increase she so drastically needed.

It wasn't so much that the extra level gave a huge boost to her stats, it was more the rare skill that manifested. The skill was called 'True Cloaking'.

Unlike other abilities involving invisibility where the person and the clothes/accessories they wore would merely be unseen, Lili had come to realise that when she activated True Cloaking, she was also unable to be heard as well and thus virtually undetectable by friend and foe alike.

The prum used this newfound ability to journey solo into depths of the dungeon that she previously did not have a hope of reaching alone. All she had to look out for was accidentally falling or being within the range of any attacks that had a wide blast radius. Lili used True Cloaking to mostly hide near adventurers who were in the middle of a skirmish and swoop in when the time was right to take any drop items or magic stones for herself totally unnoticed. She was no longer forced to rely on the adventurers that had earned such scorn and loathing from her. Lili would be all the strength and support she needed from now on.

* * *

The prum regretted her overconfidence in attempting the lower levels when she heard a thunderous crash coming from another room. Investigating the source of the noise with her cloaking ability on, she stood behind a nearby rock that she would use as a shield in the event she had to protect herself from another blast. She witnessed the Sword Princess herself unconscious and clearly hurt on the floor with a supporter standing next to her glaring at the Onyx Minotaur.

"I swore to myself I would never pick up the sword again, but I guess I don't have the luxury of time here," said The Supporter uncaring as to whether or not the creature before him could actually understand what he was saying.

The Supporter walked over to the nearby sword which had dropped from Aiz's hands only moments earlier. He picked up the supremely sharp blade and inspected it like a jeweller inspecting a valuable gem to appraise its value.

"It would only be befitting for you to be felled by the techniques of your original opponent, would it not? What was it again?

The Supporter briefly paused to gather his thoughts and focus.

"Ariel."

A humongous cluster of wind energy spontaneously gathered around The Supporter. The initial activation of the enchantment spewed forth a strong gale towards the Minotaur causing it to put up its spare hand to protect its face from the wind force. When the overwhelming wind had dissipated, the Minotaur lowered its hand only to find that The Supporter had vanished. The Supporter reappeared in front of the Minotaur with blinding speed and thrusted his sword at its neck. The surprised creature still managed to deflect the majority of the blow with its giant cleaver, although first blood had been shed. The Supporter continued his onslaught.

With each slash as unrelenting as the last, the Minotaur suffered cut after cut. Desperately trying to defend itself, the monster threw a wild swing of its massive blade. The sloppiness of the counterattack created an opening for The Supporter who sliced off the hand that was holding the weapon. The shock and excruciating pain felt caused the Minotaur to fall back and clutch its wounded arm. As it tried to slide away in retreat, the aggressor slowly walked towards it. The bleeding creature who was backed up against a rock was now at the mercy of what should have been its prey.

"There's something about you creature. I sense… a spirit within you different from the other beasts. You may be violent, but I don't believe you're completely mindless. And besides, as much as I hate to admit it, I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

The Supporter lowered his weapon and turned his back on the Minotaur and headed towards Aiz, who was still in an uncertain condition. After taking a few steps away, he turned his head to the side and spoke through a devilish smirk, "Get stronger, and we'll finish this fight next time."

After getting back to what was most important to him, he gently picked up Aiz and started to carry her away. Walking towards the direction where Lili was silently observing from, The Supporter stopped and looked over at the rock she was standing behind.

It was impossible, but Lili felt as though he was staring directly into her eyes. The cold eyes almost screaming that if she told another soul about what she had just saw, her life would become forfeit. The violent gaze abruptly ended and The Supporter continued walking away with the injured adventurer still held carefully in his hands.

* * *

Temporarily lost in her own memories, Lili regained her composure and came back to the present.

"Oh no, where did he go?" Lili thought to herself as she realised that she had lost sight of The Supporter.

She cursed her lapse in concentration and hastily made an exit from the tavern.

"Better to be safe than sorry," said Lili to herself as she initiated her True Cloaking skill.

Scurrying along making sure not to take the main street, the prum started to hurry down a darkened alleyway when she thought she noticed a figure leant up against the wall under the veil of the shadows.

"The thing about the darkness is that you can't be sure what's waiting for you when you stare into it. What is for certain is that all living things came from the darkness when they were born, and all shall return there when they die. Sometimes we do or say things that hasten our return to the abyss."

Lili broke into a cold sweat and instinctively stopped breathing. There was no way that this person could see or hear her, but her gut was telling her otherwise. The individual who at this point in time was the person she was trying most to avoid stepped out from the cover of blackness and steadily made his way towards her.

"Hey Supporter! Where the hell have you been? Stop pissing in the alleyway and get back to us! Everyone's wanting another song."

Bete howled down the alleyway and waited for a response. Lili turned around to deactivate her cloaking and yell out for help when The Supporter placed his hand on the prum's invisible shoulder. Still looking forward at Bete, The Supporter whispered so that only Lili would hear.

"We shouldn't be in such a hurry to return to the abyss."

His face changed from frightening seriousness to relaxed as he acknowledged the werewolf and promptly joined him to continue their shenanigans back at the tavern.

Lili ran away as fast as she could and promised herself that she would lay low at least for a little while to avoid any more of these stressful encounters.

* * *

As these events were unfolding a certain First Class Adventurer was homeward bound, wandering the streets on her lonesome.

Aiz has had become exhausted as the night wore on. She had not fully recovered from her injuries, and with not much tolerance for alcohol she decided she had been out long enough to warrant a well-deserved exit from the party. She bid those she knew farewell and decided to finally return to the comfort of her own bed.

Carefully observing Aiz, who was blissfully unaware of the peril she was in, was the only Level 7 adventurer in the city: Freya Familia's captain - Ottar. With his arms folded, the Boaz warrior decided then and there that he would carry out his orders without remorse or any further hesitation.


	4. The End is The Beginning is The End

**Chapter 4: The end is the beginning is the end**

"Supporter! Supporter! Open up!"

The Supporter heard a loud banging on the door of his small house. It was already the afternoon as he had slept in due to the rowdy nature of the previous night. Sensing urgency, the shirtless supporter ran to the door with a look of discomfort on his face - he was hungover more than usual.

There in the doorway stood Hestia in a panicked state, short of breath.

"Have you seen Aiz? She didn't come home last night and I've asked everyone who was at the tavern last night but no one knows where she is. I'm worried."

"No she's not with me. That's not like her at all. Do you have any idea where else she might be?"

"There were townsfolk saying that they saw a boaz man carrying a girl last night, but it was dark so no one is certain of anything."

"A boaz man? The only one I can think of that would even put up a fight against The Sword Princess would be Ottar of the Freya Familia."

"Ottar..."

"Leave it with me goddess. I'll investigate and see what's going on."

"Thank you Supporter. And be careful."

With no time to get dressed properly, The Supporter put on his usual cloak on without an undershirt and dashed off away from the goddess. Hestia clasped her hands together and closed her eyes to say a silent prayer for his success.

* * *

The goddess Freya sat atop of a chair that resembled a throne of sorts with its red velvet cushioning. Her long silver hair draped back to her sides as her pale pink lips sipped upon a luxurious burgundy coloured wine. Standing beside the pale beauty was her most-trusted soldier and personal protector, the Level 7 Adventurer Ottar.

"You've done well. I'm pleased by this."

"Thank you Lady Freya."

While Freya lost herself in the view from her window which overlooked the city, Ottar glanced over to the captive they currently held in their room. Aiz battered from battle and clothes torn, lay unconscious with her arms chained up against the wall.

On her way home the previous night, Ottar ambushed and kidnapped Aiz to take her back to his Familia's lair. Aiz might have put up more of a fight completely sober and injury-free, but she still would have been no match for an adventurer a whole level above her.

The door to Freya's chambers opened and closed as if they had a mind of their own. Ottar turned to see who had entered but none stood before him. A man in a cloak appeared before them almost in an instant. Ottar readied his weapon in a fighting stance ready to battle against the intruder.

"Well that was a pretty handy ability wasn't it? I was able to get all the way up here without alerting anyone. Not that it really would have made any difference. Oh sorry, knock knock!"

Freya looked over at The Supporter, unimpressed by his stealthy efforts and turned back to viewing the city as was her usual way to relax in the afternoon. The Supporter's expression however, changed when he noticed Aiz's condition to the side of the room.

"May I ask why you have treated my partner in such a manner and taken her captive like this?" enquired The Supporter, not entirely sure his question would be met with a response.

After a brief silence, Ottar explained the one 'fact' that all Freya Familia must abide by: Freya's beauty is absolute.

It was a common compliment in Orario to compare the attractiveness of a female to that of the goddess. Although it annoyed her followers, Freya took it in her stride as it still meant that none matched her level of exquisiteness. Any Freya Familia member caught saying that any being was more beautiful than the Goddess of Beauty herself would not be tolerated. An elven member had been overheard during Aiz's latest adventure saying this much, and he had not been seen since. Ottar decided to once again remind people who their adoration of ultimate beauty should be directed to by humiliating and destroying the source of this recent blasphemy - by taking Aiz so that none would dare utter both their names in the same sentence again.

The Supporter had heard enough. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a sword. The sword's edges were blunt and chipped, but its craftsmanship was undeniable. One more savvy in the value of such artifacts of weaponry may have even argued that the sword would have been highly valuable in days past, but in its current state an adventurer would be hard-pressed to cut into an apple with it. Despite its worn condition, The Supporter pointed the dulled blade at Ottar

"Ridiculous. You are a ridiculous captain. And that ugly, disgusting wench of a goddess will finally get what she deserves."

No sooner had Freya turned to direct a loathsome glare at the unwelcome guest, Ottar rushed forward with murderous intent in his eyes, and a look of pure hatred on his face.

How dare this filthy commoner insult his goddess? Killing him would not be enough of a revenge against his impertinence, the boaz adventurer thought.

Much to the goddess' and boaz's surprise, The Supporter put up much more of a fight than either of them had expected.

Although clearly outmatched in their sword fight, The Supporter was able to defend against the majority of strikes against him, and even came close to landing a dull-edged blow himself. An elite A First Class Adventurer would have a hard enough time against the only known Level 7, let alone a Level 1 supporter.

The obvious gap in their power came to a culmination as Ottar knocked the damaged sword away from the hands of the supposedly low-level supporter. Clearly worn out and bleeding from their fight, The Supporter dropped to one knee and slouched over. He could not help but chuckle at the situation he had found himself in.

"It's been a while since I've had to go all out like this. I can see why they consider you the strongest in Orario."

The Supporter's genuine compliment fell on deaf ears as the boaz raised his large blade for the final blow.

"Die."

Ottar struck with all of his might in his right-arm to pulverise the intruder that had found his way into his goddess' chambers. Both he and his goddess awaited the inevitable fountain of blood to erupt out of the soon to be dead man, but no such thing happened. Ottar's face changed from anger to confusion as he grabbed his weapon now with both hands to push it down further, but it would not move. He noticed fingers clutched around the blade. The Supporter had caught the weapon with his bare hand and was pushing it back up. There were no signs of any wounds on a hand that should have been sliced clean in two.

"But how?!"

"You're certainly strong. But I've trained with stronger."

And with an upward thrust of his palm, The Supporter launched the weapon and the boaz who was still holding it both up in the air. Time stood still for Ottar. He could see everything happening, but could not move fast enough to do anything about it.

The Supporter's right-hand punch landed directly in the middle of his opponent. The blow was so powerful it created a shockwave that shattered the glass windows, and cracked the sides of the walls. Ottar was catapulted through the side of the building and passed out as he fell down to the ground outside. He gagged upon impact with the pavement. A deep imprint was formed with the weight of his body.

"How interesting! You have certainly cured me of my boredom today mortal," giggled Freya in an almost childlike fashion. She showed absolutely no concern of the state of her most loyal follower nor any semblance of fear for her safety.

She slowly walked towards The Supporter with her charm powers out in full-force. This ability worked equally as effective on both mortal and god alike. Even Hermes himself had fallen prey to its effects in the past. Those affected turned into a state akin to a lovestruck slave, unable to think or act against the wishes of Freya.

"Now what should I do with you my child?" mused Freya who was now face-to-face with her prey. The Supporter remained motionless as was expected.

"Should I give you the ultimate pleasure before releasing you from your forsaken life, or should I just ki-"

Freya's sneer turned into a look of shock and puzzlement. Stepping back she saw the sight of a small dagger lodged into her stomach. Blood poured out like drink spilt from a cup - a completely foreign experience to her. The Supporter had slowly reached into his bag and pulled out the weapon right from under her nose. Knowing that her time left in her current state was limited, she stumbled back into her chair - her breathing now laboured.

"How were you able to resist my charm?"

The dying goddess' query was completely ignored by The Supporter who took off his cloak and walked towards his princess. His back fully exposed, Freya gasped at the level and stats that she saw: Level 1, with all stats mediocre at best. Still with his back towards the goddess, The Supporter tore off Aiz's chains and covered her with his cloak to provide some warmth and comfort.

"I supposed I look a little different to the last time you saw me. It has been many years after all. Although, in hindsight it's possible that you thought so little of me that you never noticed what I even looked like to begin with."

Freya's strained expression turned into one of acceptance as she finally recognised the man before her: the former captain of the Zeus Familia.

* * *

"I can't believe that bitch and her wimpy Familia ditched us at Level 80. After we basically carried them the whole way through. What a bunch of ingrates! And don't get me started again on those little punks that run away scared before we even began."

Lors, a Level 8 brawler-type supporter cursed and spat at the betrayal that they had only recently experienced. In an unprecedented event, the top three Familias in Orario agreed to team up to get as far as they could in the dungeon: Loki, Freya and Zeus. Unbeknownst to Zeus or any of his Familia, Loki and Freya had made a deal to get deep within the dungeon and leave the Zeus party members to fend for themselves knowing that they would have little chance of getting back to the surface on their own.

Loki ended up not feeling comfortable with the final arrangement and ordered her children to cancel their expedition altogether in the hopes that the other two groups would follow. Freya had other plans. Adapting to her new situation, Freya pandered to the arrogance of Zeus and his members, convincing them that the loss of Loki's children would be of little consequence. The expedition went ahead as planned, with the Freya members disappearing during the night when everyone was meant to rest at Level 80 of the dungeon.

"I bet they all die on the way back up. They think they're so tough with that boaz kid, and those prums. So they have a Level 6. Big deal! When I was his age I was already Level 7. And I'm a supporter!" Lors yelled out in frustration.

"Well not everyone can be geniuses like you guys. We should just be glad that we had some company for the trip down."

Sitting next to Lors, was a blonde-haired female who resembled an attractive woman, but was not exactly human. Her smile was radiant and pure, almost in direct contrast to the frustrated male animal-person who shared the grass area under the shade of a tree with her.

"Oh hush Aria. You just get to sit back and cast your wind magic. I have to be up close and punch things. And besides I'm still technically a supporter, so I have to carry a bunch of junk for people all the time. I swear people take advantage of the fact that I have this magic satchel. What's your take on this captain? You agree with me right?"

"Can't you keep your squabbling to yourself for a second. I'm a little busy here!"

The captain of the Zeus Familia was engaged in a training match with his best friend and second-in-command: a man with scruffy black hair by the name of Albert.

"Do you really think you have time to be chatting to spectators captain?" taunted Albert as he continued his slashes towards his sparring partner.

"Gah! Every time you call me that, I feel like you're mocking me. And besides, I'm Level 10, and you're Level 9. How are you this strong?"

"Because I taught you everything you know!"

Albert, Aria and The Captain had met years earlier. Zeus had scouted all the lands for the strongest of warriors to lead his mighty Familia and being the highest level adventurer known to anyone, he appointed the young man as his captain. This earned teasing from Albert who only referred to him as 'Captain' from then on, a tradition that was continued by all that had encountered him. Zeus also never questioned Aria or her willingness to assist Albert and their teammates, despite never formally joining the Familia. She and Albert made a formidable team, and that is all he cared about, so she was made to be an honorary member.

The Captain's raw power was further refined by Albert's impeccable swordsmanship. It was Albert's gift with blade techniques that had earned the nickname: King of Swords.

"Well then Mr. King of Swords, shall we call it a tie then? We have a large battle ahead of us."

Albert agreed to his captain's proposition and the two bowed their heads in mutual respect before joining their comrades in the shade. Albert rested his head on Aria's lap, who in turn ran her fingers through his messy hair. They were at peace in spite of their environment.

"I wish I could take a nap when a huge black dragon could appear and attack us at any time." scoffed Lors sarcastically at the couple's public display of affection.

"Oh leave them be Lors. I bet they're really missing their daughter. Little Aiz must be lonely without them. And we have no right to complain about the situation we're in. We could have easily turned back when the Freya Familia decided to leave us, but we deemed them unnecessary and soldiered on. And as predicted, we have made it to Floor 100, albeit with heavy casualties."

"Heavy casualties? That's one way of putting it. Another way would be saying that out of all the Zeus Familia members, only four remain alive. But I guess you're right. This is what we'd signed up for. As long as we slay that bastard dragon and imprint ourselves in history as the greatests warriors of all time, everything will have been worth it. I want a monument built in my image. Made of gold!"

"Of course you do Lors. Of course you do," laughed The Captain, with Albert and Aria joining in on the affectionate teasing.

Aria started to hum her favourite tune, a song she would often sing for her daughter. The other members silenced themselves to bask in its tranquil sounds.

It was the last happy memory that they had together.

Lors was the first to go in their epic battle against the One-Eyed Black Dragon. There was only so much a supporter-brawler type could do in a fight against a mythical beast, but he had fulfilled his job by reaching into his magic satchel and arming his teammates with the finest weapons that money could buy. Despite the sharpness and sturdiness of their blades, the One-Eyed Black Dragon's scales proved excruciatingly difficult to penetrate.

Aria provided support and offensive capabilities, by enchanting both Albert and her captain with Ariel as well as casting high-level wind magic against the beast. Weakened and sensing the threat she imposed by her unending magic attacks, the black dragon rushed at her with velocity that betrayed its size. Albert had attempted to shield his beloved, but the dragon's claws had pierced through both their bodies. Albert managed to stab at the monster's only remaining eye, before collapsing on top of Aria, both of whom were drawing their last breaths.

Writhing in agony at the pain and loss of its vision, the dragon thrashed away from the dying lovers. It roared loud enough to shatter a person's eardrums.

"No!" shrieked The Captain as he made his way to his comrades.

Bearing the brunt of the attack, Albert's vocal chords had been shredded so it was up to Aria to convey their last wishes.

"Captain. Please take care of Aiz." pleaded Aria with tears in her eyes.

"I promise I will."

The Captain nodded through his weeping. Aria and Albert closed their eyes for the very last time in each other's embrace.

* * *

It had taken him in immense amount of time by himself, but he had finally managed to slay the legendary beast. The Captain had systematically worn down and struck at the beast until a small open wound had appeared. Using his blade that had blunted from hitting the dragon's scales over and over again, The Captain lodged the weapon in the wound and cast his most powerful lightning magic 'Raidayre' on it repeatedly until the creature stopped moving. The hunk of metal was used as a lightning rod and amplified its already explosive power.

The Captain stood in silence, hesitant to enter the strange black portal that had appeared before him. He had just buried his best friends and comrades in the small patch of grass next to the tree that they all had rested under peacefully. Knowing that Lors would have wanted him to have it, The Captain carried the magic satchel as he stepped into the unknown passageway.

The Captain found himself in an area that resembled the stars in the night sky. It was hard to determine whether or not which way was up and which way was down. Looking behind him, he saw no trace of the area that he and his late allies had fought in.

"Congratulations my child. You have cleared the dungeon."

A lone figure stepped forward to meet The Captain. It was Zeus himself. A heavenly light surrounded him. He looked pleased at this significant achievement for the adventurer.

"Lord Zeus? What is this?"

"This is your final test."

"I don't underst-"

Zeus suddenly gathered all of his godly power. His aura so strong and fierce it took all of The Captain's concentration to just stand upright.

Still distraught over the loss of his friends, the Level 10 Adventurer's emotions swelled up inside. In his bewildered state, he decided that this was not his time to die. He decided that he would not let his deceased friends and teammates deaths be in vain. He decided to act. He reached into his satchel and armed himself with a dagger. The dagger was nicknamed 'The Godslayer' though none knew the true origins of the name.

Using all of his remaining energy, The Captain dove knife-first towards the god, not knowing whether he would even be able to survive Zeus' initial attack against him, much less inflict a wound on him. He closed his eyes and yelled at the top of his lungs. But there was no resistance to be felt.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that he had thrusted the dagger directly into the heart of the god. Looking up to face him, Zeus warmly smiled at him.

"Well done my child. And I'm sorry."

The Captain caught his god as he collapsed.

"Lord Zeus! What is this? What's happening?"

"This is the ultimate fate of the Familia that clears the dungeon: to kill the god that they have so faithfully served for so long. It is also my divine punishment for leading countless mortals to their deaths. As my last act, I shall give you my blessing."

The farna on the The Captain's back lit up and illuminated through his clothes. Zeus transformed into a beam of light and returned to the heavens leaving behind his broken-hearted follower.

* * *

Freya's eyes widened as the markings on The Supporter's back started glowing and changing shape. The number one appeared next to his level and it shone brightly for all to see: he was now Level 11. His stats transformed similarly to all read 'SSS' and an ability appeared at the bottom that read 'Deus Ex Machina'.

"So that was it. Captain of the Zeus Familia who was thought to have perished in the dungeon along with his fellow members. You managed to clear the last floor and obtain the ultimate power by killing your own god - the ability to rewrite yourself as you see fit. And you used this power to seek revenge on me."

Freya laughed and gurgled on the blood that had made its way into her mouth. What delicious irony, she thought. Her plan to destroy the Zeus Familia had ended in her own destruction.

The Supporter started to cast a healing spell on Aiz and on a whim decided to respond to the dying goddess.

"Let me be clear. I never blamed you or Loki for what happened to us. It was our own hubris that resulted in our downfall. We achieved our goal and finished what we set out to do. And that's all that matters. My only regret is that it had taken me this long to come back to Orario and face the child who was orphaned as a result of my weakness to protect her parents."

Freya pondered this. It was true that with the power that he gained, The Supporter could have easily killed her and Loki in the mortal realm at any time. It was only the threat that she had imposed on The Sword Princess, did he finally deem it worth slaying a deity for. And with this last insight that only heightened Freya's amusement , the goddess burst into a beam of light and returned to the heavens.

Aiz slowly opened her eyes to see her partner staring down at her. The shape of his mouth resembled a smile, but it could not hide the sorrow in his eyes.

"Where am I?" asked Aiz quietly, as she had difficulty remembering the events leading up to her being awoken in a room unknown to her.

The Supporter helped her up and put back on his cloak that Aiz had handed back to him.

"Let's get out of here princess. I will tell you the truth about your parents, the truth about me. I'll tell you everything."

Aiz looked at her supporter. He had never looked as pained as this before. She trusted that all would be revealed to her soon and so without pressing anything further, the two left the room in silence.

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Months had passed after the death of Freya and the disbanding of her Familia. The Supporter had revealed the past to Aiz and repeatedly apologised to her for not only letting her parents die in front of him, but also for leaving her to fend for herself all these years by her lonesome. The burden of grief had broken The Supporter and sent him on a path of depression and self-destruction. He tried drowning his sorrows in wine. What good was a man with the power of a demigod if everyone he had cared about was no longer of the world, he foolishly thought.

Aiz reasoned with him and explained that there was nothing to be sorry for, and if anything she was glad that her parents deaths had already been avenged. There was comfort in knowing more about her mother and father, as only glimpses of them remained in her memories.

Aiz showed renewed vigor in her dedication to become stronger. She was no longer driven by revenge. She would become strong enough to make her parents proud and do honour to their memory. Her goal now was no longer to seek out the monster that slayed Albert and Aria, but to become strong enough to visit their graves on Floor 100 and pay her respects in person.

She continued to evolve as a warrior, battling waves of creatures and encountering situations no solo adventurer had any business surviving by themselves. But she was not alone. The Supporter would watch over Aiz from a distance. He continued his role in her service. He would allow Aiz to push herself to her absolute limits, and only intervene when completely necessary. To any onlookers, Aiz may have looked to be overwhelmed at every instance, but Aiz never felt truly in danger. She had complete faith in her partner..

He would be her healer, her bodyguard, her bard, her muse, her blacksmith, her companion, anything she needed him to be - he would be the ultimate supporter. He was able to fulfil his promise to his companions, and fill the hole that had formed in his heart. The Supporter was now all that he ever wanted to be: content.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:** Ever since being introduced to this series when the anime first came out, I started imagining the different things that could be possible in the world where Danmachi is set. The rules were the same as an MMORPG, but the characters in it treated it like real-life. If it's just like a game, what would be the last level in the dungeon, and what would happen when it was cleared? I thought having a character start a 'New Game+' in Orario might be cool, but I also didn't want the character to just go trouncing everyone for the sake of it - there needed to be a grounded reason for it all._

 _This was my very first FanFic, and I'm not sure if I'll do another one but it was fun to finish something that I had been wanting to do for years even if I wasn't 100% happy with the result. I'm happy with the 'twists and turns' and how I tried to tie all the elements together, so hopefully there should be little in the way of plot holes or lack of closure because those are things I don't like when experiencing a story for myself. I also tried to keep the characters as in line with the source material as possible to keep the immersion up. I really wanted this story to be an alternative reality where a few things have changed but everyone else is still just doing their usual thing. I just wish I had more creativity to breathe more life into the Zeus Familia members._

 _I'm sincerely grateful to everyone that took the time out of their busy lives to read this, and if you've gotten this far I hope that you've enjoyed reading my little story as much as I had fun coming up with it!_


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